After a day of driving, interesting stops, and unbelievable views, we were so happy to reach the bed and breakfast. And once we arrived, I was tempted to just change our plans and hang out there the whole weekend! What a place! But alas, I did not want to miss out on exploring McCarthy and Kennecott.

When coming from a city the rest of Alaska sometimes refers to as “Los Anchorage,” stepping onto the lawn of the Alaska Halfway House Bed and Breakfast was like finally exhaling after holding your breath way too long. The peace and beauty of this place washed over me immediately, and the kindness and hospitality of the owners added to that.

The Chokosna River runs through the property, and a few chairs and a bench swing were set up along the bank. Fireweed bloomed in abundance, and pictured above is dwarf fireweed, which I had no idea was a thing until Kayane, the owner of the B&B, explained. My mother-in-law and I learned a lot from her about foraging for Alaskan berries and greens and got tips for making better jams and syrups. Who knew we’d get an edible-nature class with our stay at their property?

They had gorgeous grounds, including a garden, greenhouse, and various outbuildings. As this is an off-the-grid B&B, they use solar power and a back-up generator. They gather their water from the river or a nearby spring, and we had an outhouse available to us during our stay, as well as an outdoor solar shower.

My husband and I camped on the lawn both nights and fell asleep to the calming sound of the water, and his parents stayed in a quaint cabin on the side of the barn. We had delicious hot breakfasts in the house, complete with homemade jams and syrups and fresh greens from the greenhouse. Kayane and Bud were so kind and helpful, and we enjoyed our stay immensely!

And here's the deal: this lovely B&B is for sale at a fantastic price! Since I loved it so much but can't buy it myself, I want to share the info. You could make this property your dream off-the-grid home or vacation home, right in the middle of America’s largest national park, Wrangell-St. Elias! Feel free to share this info with anyone you think might be interested. You can see the real estate flyer here.

After our first night and a great sleep, we got on the road for the last thirty-three miles of driving. The McCarthy Road is only sixty miles long, but since it is not kept up much and can have bad potholes, “washboards,” and even old railroad spikes, the speed limit is 35 mph. We found the road to be in pretty good condition and made good time. Visitors cannot drive into McCarthy or Kennecott. Everyone parks on one side of a footbridge, and after you’ve crossed the Kennecott River, you can either hike a mile to McCarthy (pictured below) or five miles to Kennecott, or you can pay to take a shuttle. McCarthy is a quirky "end-of-the-road" town with a colorful history. I would love to come back and spend a little time looking around. Just a few main buildings make up the "downtown," and between Kennecott and McCarthy, only about twenty people actually live there year-round.

We took the shuttle straight to Kennecott so we could hike to the Root Glacier. We also had reservations for a tour of the old copper mill, which I’ll talk about in the next post! It was an AMAZING experience. You won’t want to miss the pictures of that!

We had a great two-and-a-half-mile hike down to the “toe” of the glacier. The mosquitos enjoyed our company a little too much, but this is Alaska! The weather was really warm that day, so I was sweating but didn’t want to take my hoodie off completely and have my arms exposed to the bugs.

The trail was well kept and not too difficult. People of all age groups were hiking. We crossed a few beautiful creeks and saw interesting vegetation we don’t normally see. The most interesting plant was called Dryas, pictured, which is one of the first plants to spring up in an area where a glacier has receded. You can read a short, fascinating article about “plant succession” here. The locals call these Little Einsteins because they look like they have crazy white hair when they open up!

Finally the trail branched off at a ninety-degree angle and we headed downhill toward the glacier. We stopped to eat the lunch we’d packed and take in the gorgeous view and refreshing, cool breeze coming off the ice, and then we continued on down. Unfortunately, we didn’t have a lot of time to explore around on the glacier, since we had to get back in time for our mill tour. Glacier tour groups were hiking farther back on the ice, and if we come back we’ll be sure to factor in more time to explore! Glaciers are so fascinating!

Once again, the fresh air out here was incredible, and the scenery was almost surreal. Our eyes took in the grandeur of enormous mountains, blue glaciers, flowers, and the Copper River Valley. It was my favorite hike of the summer!

Stay tuned for the final post in this series, where I show pictures of the incredibly preserved mining town and copper mill. Thanks for following my “off the grid” experience!

Hello!

I'm a mom of twins, published author, editor, amateur photographer, and nature enthusiast with an unlimited supply of curiosity. Come discover the little wonders I find during my everyday life in Alaska.